\ Ai 6\ r 



ADDRESS 



OF 



HIS EXCELLENCY, 

JOS. A. WRIGHT, 

GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF INDIANA, 

PBOSOUNCED AT THB 

NEW YORK AGRICULTURAL STATE FAIR, 



AT 



ELMIRA, OCTOBER 5, 1855. 



INDIANAPOLIS: 

ELDER & HARKNESS, PRINTERS. 
1855. 



ADDEESS 

OF 

HIS EXCELLENCY, JOSEPH A. WRIGHT, 

GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF INDIANA; 

PRONOUNCED AT THE NEW YORK AGRICULTURAL STATE FAIR, AT ELMIRA, 
OCTOBER 5, 1855. 



Mr. President, and Gentlemen of the 

New York Agricultural Society: — 

"All flesh is grass," is a declaration of an inspired writer; the 
demonstration of which truth lies amid the plainest facts of Nature. 
As the law of the grass is, that it "withereth, and the flower there- 
of fadeth," so, under the same law, exists everything which the 
grass produceth. 

Of the soul of man — in the superiority and immortality of which 
we all believe — it is not my province, nor is this an occasion, to 
discourse. Considered simply in his material nature — produced, 
nourished, and re-produced, as that nature is, from the earth and 
its fruits — man is not a wanderer, who, after "prospecting" through 
the universe, has selected this beautiful farm of the Earth for his 
residence and heritage. He is a part of it. In common with its 
other productions, vegetable and animal, he has risen from, and 
lives upon, its bosom. He is the last born — the perfection of its 
fruits. 

In common with the grasses, grains, and fruits, upon which he 
subsists, he is subject to the law of dissolution and decay. " Dust 
thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return," is the law of the mate- 
rial man, as surely as it is the law of the soul that it shall return 
unto God who gave it: 

"Each speed them to their source," 

returning to their respective treasuries the life and wealth which 
was loaned them. 

Such, then, being the nature of our alliance with the Earth, its 
cultivation becomes our first duty and necessity. It is the normal 
employment of man; and none other is so natural and honorable. 
The sweet instinct and the gentle purity, of the suckling nestling 
in the bosom of its mother, are but counterparts of the purity and 
dignity of the true and diligent cultivator of the Earth. 



In the prosecution of this work, we must understand, and act in 
Conformity with, the laws of nature. Science, in investigating and 
expounding these laws, appears nowhere more useful and graceful 
than as the hand-maid of the farmer. Concerning these laws, we 
can gather information from the history of the creation, in the first 
chapter of Genesis — a history as remarkable for its science as for 
its simplicity. 

At first, "the Earth was without form and void; and darkness 
was upon the face of the deep." The elements of the earth were 
all there, rude and unshapen, upon the face of whose morasses and 
depths 'darkness' rested. There was no land — no water — no clouds, 
or fertilizing showers — no light — no firmament. 

Now, how was order brought out of this chaos? And what was 
the first great agricultural result? The first command was, "Let 
there be light ; and there was light." Thus, in order of creation, 
was established that law which has ever since prevailed, making 
light a first and indispensable element in the productions of the 
earth. 

In connection with this was established the law under which we 
find repose a necessary alternation to stimulus. The light nourish- 
es and stimulates ; darkness, therefore, precedes it, as a period of 
rest. "And God called the light day; and the darkness he called 
night } and the evening and the morning were the first day." 

The next step in the process, was that which assigned to the 
heavens and the earth their separate powers of fertility. Light, 
evaporating the waters, held a portion in suspense, to descend, in 
due time, in fertilizing rains and showers. "And God said, let 
there be a firmament in the midst of the waters ; and let it divide 
the waters from the waters." Then followed the separation of the 
land from the water; and "God called the dry land earth, and the 
gathering together of the waters called he seas." 

Now all was in preparation for production and fertility ; and, be- 
fore the creation of man, or animated nature, "God said, let the earth 
bring' forth grass." Thus, the pioneer settler, who now penetrates 
the vast forests which cover with "darkness" the soil he purposes 
to subdue, first, in conformity with the order of creation, says, "Let 
there be light;" and the sturdy stroke of the woodman repeats the 
command till the trees lie low, and the "light" greets the soil. The 
waters are exhaled by its kisses, and ascend above the firmament ; 
the ditches are dug; and every throw of the busy spade says, "Let 
the waters under the heavens be gathered together in one place, 
and let the dry land appear," in order that the earth may bring 
forth grass. 

Grass — gra$8 — the great material which supports all flesh, and 
forms the material nature of man himself! Grass — the cultivation 
and perfection of which it becomes one of the first duties of the 
husbandman to promote! 

Though this is the oldest command, and lies at the foundation 



of all agricultural wealth, yet, the subject to which it has relation 
receives from agriculturists less thought, less attention, less investi- 
gation, than is given by them to any other subject of rural interest. 

Our zeal, industry, and wealth have been freely expended in the 
practical illustration of improved methods of cultivating grains, 
fruits and vegetables, and in the improvements of our stock, farm- 
ing implements, and machinery. We have imported, at great ex- 
pense, all kinds of domestic animals ; our State fairs and our coun- 
ty fairs aunually furnish reports, essays, and addresses, on every 
branch of agricultural industry; we have books and learned treat- 
ises on horses, cattle, sheep, swine, and even poultry ; and many 
volumes of useful essays on cotton, wheat, corn, potatoes, fruits, 
rice, flax, hemp, and tobacco. All well enough ; yet, at this day, 
we have not a book, report, or pamphlet, that furnishes the Ameri- 
can farmer with even the names of the grasses of his country, to say 
nothing of that essential information which, by the tests of science, 
fixes the value of each kind, and determines the question of ita 
adaptation to different soils, and to different sections of the United 
States. 

The American farmer cultivates, or, to speak more correctly, he 
bestows some attention on the cultivation of ten or a dozen lands 
of grass, while the teeming earth, without tillage, furnishes innu- 
merable varieties of this staff of annimal life, in all latitudes and lon- 
gitudes throughout our wide-spread country. No crop approaches 
so near a spontaneous, uncultivated yield, as the grass, and none 
pays so large a profit. While it is impossible for me to state, with 
precision, the annual value of this crop, I do not hesitate to express 
the opinion that, in this country, the hay crop alone, imperfect as it 
is, and receiving so little attention, is greater in value, at this day, 
than the combined crops of cotton, rice, and tobacco. 

According to the census of 1840, the mere hay crop of the U. S. 
was 10,248,108 tons ; in 1850, it was 13,838,642 tons. I estimate 
the hay crop of 1855, at 15,000,000 tons, which, at ten dollars per 
ton, would amount to 150,000,000 dollars. The cotton crop of 1853, 
is valued at 128,000,000 dollars. Of the hay crop, more than one- 
half is produced by four States, to-wit: — New York, Ohio, Indi- 
ana, and Illinois — your own State producing more than one-fourth 
of the whole ; and yet no State has made this article a primary 
object of cultivation. 

We treat the hay crop as one of minor importance. But little 
attention is paid to it: — the meadow must wait till the other crops 
are disposed of; then the grass is cut, too often without any refer- 
ence to its condition, or any well prepared place for its reception. 

The value of the hay crop of this country, however, is not equal 
to the value of the grass crop appropriated to pasturage, even in the 
present unimproved condition of the latter crop. But if we make the 
values only equal, then the total value of the annual grass crop — 
hay and pasturage — of the United States, may be estimated at 



6 

$300,000,000, or an amount equal to the aggregate value of all other 
agricultural products of our country, excepting wheat and corn. 

°I use the word "grass," not in its strict botanical signification ; 
but, according to common usage, to designate the herbage or plants 
which constitute the food of cattle and other beasts. 

Begin ing with the few facts which are known in relation to the 
number and qualities of the grasses of this country, we should by 
means of scientific investigation and judicious experiments, endeav- 
or to increase our knowledge, with respect to this great branch of 
agricultural interest. We find one kind of grass in this latitude, 
which, it is said, is well adapted for making a sure crop of hay, and 
good pasture. It stands the drought well ; is not much injured by 
rain in harvesting; forms a feeble sod; and is easily subdued when 
the meadow is to be transformed into a grain field. Another, else- 
where, that is suitable to wet prairies; less exhausting to the soil 
than the first; and is especially recommended for cultivation in the 
early settlement of a country, before a system of drainage can be 
effected. Another, said to be very productive, and exceedingly nu- 
tritious ; and, when once well set, it forms a permanent sod ; but it 
is slow in taking root, and will not stand our summer heat. An- 
other which grows in tufts, and, in autumn, its leaves spread out 
most vigorously, for fall pasturage. Another, from its aromatic and 
astringent qualities is rendered agreeable to the palate of stock ; it 
retains its verdure in the depth of winter, and, in the beginning of 
spring, it shoots forth with vigor. Another, with its rich long slen- 
der leaves, two feet in height, is seen in the fine uplands of the 
limestone region ; in autumn it falls over, in thick windrows, mat- 
ting the whole surface together, and retaining its freshness and nu- 
tritious qualities amid the frosts and snows of winter. Another, 
such as the grass which forms the celebrated pastures of the Swisa 
Alps, and those of the Tyrol, is peculiarly distinguished for posses- 
sing qualities favorable to the secretion of milk, and is, therefore, 
preferred for milch cows. Another, it is said, will endure cold and 
shade, without suffering injury; another is only suitable for the 
light and heat of summer; another, rich and nutritious, comes up 
after the crops are laid by, and affords fine crops of hay; another, 
adapted to warm, moist river bottoms, and, in some sections of our 
country, yielding five tons of hay per acre, is highly valued by some 
graziers; another is found growing on dry, gravelly soils, and hill 
sides; and part of its value consists in the numerous seeds which 
arc retained in the pod, long after they ripen — serving as food for 
beast and fowl. 

"Grasses," said a distinguished philosopher, "are Nature's first 
care." They are the most general, extensive, and hardy, of the 
earth's productions. They are nearly of endless variety, and adap- 
ted to almost every climate. They endure the trampling i)( men 
and beasts, the browsing of cattle, the parching droughts of Sum- 
mer, and the snows and ice of Winter; and spring into new and 



often more vigorous life, under influences which to other plants 
would prove destructive. 

On mountain tops, where the warmth of the summer's sun is not 
sufficient to ripen their seeds, they live by their roots, and with 
thick clustering leaves protect these roots, producing thereby the 
densest and most beautiful verdure. And it is reported by one 
writer, that, for the preservation of the grassess in those localities 
where the ripening of their seeds is important, the wild beasts, guid- 
ed by a remarkable instinct, leave untouched the stems that sup- 
port the flowers. Do not the profusion of grasses with which the 
earth is clad, and the laws which so remarkably preserve them, in- 
dicate that they are worthy of the special attention and culture of 
those for whom the earth is ordered and established in fertility and 
beauty? 

The farmer who understands the importance of bestowing care- 
ful attention upon his stock, diligently husbands the grasses and 
grains which furnish them with food and clothe them with flesh. 
But how little does he think of the fact that these very grasses 
should receive attention like that which he bestows on his cattle. 
Plants cannot live without food, more easily than the ox and sheep; 
and hence, there is a great sphere for study and care as to the kind 
of food which is adapted to the most perfect production of grass- 
es; and there is a loud demand to protect them against injuries and 
depredations; but many a farmer will spend money and labor, in 
rendering his flocks secure from wild animals, and in protecting his 
granaries from the pilferings of vermin, and yet think little of the 
noxious influences and weeds that are steadily stealing from his 
grasses the food which nature has provided for them. 

All plants receive more or less of their nutriment from the at- 
mosphere; and for that purpose, are furnished with organs adapted 
to absorb aliment from light and moisture. These organs are 
found in their leaves, while the root is the portion that draws sus- 
tenance from the earth. The larger the leaves, the greater is the 
proportion of nutriment received from the atmosphere. Hence, 
grasses with small leaves exhaust the soil rapidly; whereas, the 
larger leaved varieties, like clover, drawing less from the soil and 
more from the atmosphere, are the best fertilizers — returning to the 
earth, when turned under, a larger percentage of fertilizing ele- 
ments; and such grasses can, therefore, be successfully adapted to 
the culture of light lands which would entirely refuse to support 
other varieties. 

I regard it as a well settled principle, that there are, in every 
country, indigenous plants which, when their qualities are fully 
understood, are precisely those which are designed by a beneficent 
Providence, to furnish the proper elements for the support of ani- 
mal life. The same principle prevails in relation to soils, and their 
capacities to support vegetable life. Clay, sand, marl, and shell, 
lying in close proximity to each other, afford to the intelligent farm- 



8 

er or planter, the means of increasing and preserving the fertility 
of the land. 

Although neither the number nor the names of our indigenous 
grasses have been ascertained, we cannot be ignorant of their great 
variety, richness and durability, when we look over our country, 
from the 49th degree of north latitude to the extreme south, and 
see the health, thrift, and superiority of our domestic stock, and the 
number and condition of the wild animals of our forests and 
prairies. 

On the spurs and slopes of the Rocky Mountains, and on the 
head waters of the Red river of the north, immense herds of buf- 
falos subsist on a kind of grass which retains its freshness through- 
out the winter, and which remains green and nutritious while oth- 
er grasses of the plains and valleys are dried up by the heat and 
drought of summer. 

It appears, from the statements of botanists, that Wo hundred 
and fifteen varieties of herbaceous plants, commonly called grasses, 
are cultivated in Great Britain. Perhaps, in our own country, the 
student of Nature might find more than one-half of this number, 
growing spontaneously in the wild prairies which cover millions of 
acres. You may make your track through these immense plains, 
and by the side of your path, each year, there^ will spring up new 
varieties of plants and grasses. Where this wild grass is cut, or 
pastured, it brings forth, annually, finer, better, and different varie- 
ties, which are eagerly sought for, by the stock, while the other and 
wilder varieties are shunned. "Who shall estimate the number of 
our grasses ? Who shall classify them? And — what is a far more 
important question — who shall test them in the crucible of science, 
and determine their respective values, so that the practical farmer 
may, with certainty, avail himself of the advantages which will 
result from the cultivation of the best varieties ? 

Nature seems to indicate the propriety of sowing more than one 
kind of seed for meadows and pastures; as, in the natural herb- 
age, we rarely find the whole surface of the soil occupied by one 
kind of plants. The earth produces almost an infinite variety of 
grasses, adapted to every conceivable kind of soil and location. 
The cold and bleak mountain sides, the arid sand plains, the allu- 
vial bottom lands, the marshes and the bogs, are covered with va- 
rious kinds of vegetation, each kind differing from others in its or- 
ganic structure and qualities, and each requiring certain appropri- 
ate and peculiar elements for its support. The agriculturist who 
avails himself of his knowledge of these facts, may greatly increase 
the value of his meadows and pastures. Where as many stalks of 
one kind is produced as the soil is capable of supporting, another 
variety, that will take from the soil different elements, may grow 
between the first kind without interfering materially with it; as it 
Lb not a competitor for the same nutritious particles in the soil. 



9 

It is difficult to determine, with respect to any country, the proportion of meadow 
and pasture lands, as compared to the total quantity of land under cultivation. It 
is said that, in France, the meadows and pastures constitute about one-seventh of 
the cultivated lands : in England, about three-fourths. In the United States, the 
amount does not, probably, exceed one-third, even in the best grazing and hay-grow- 
ing States; and, in many of the States, the number of acres used for meadows and 
pastures, does not amount to one-eighth of the total quantity of land under cultiva- 
tion. 

A general agricultural error is a national error — for the correction of which we 
must look to the agriculturists themselves. Some of this class of errors are especially 
worthy the consideration of some of the people of the United States. For instance, 

! assessing, in favorable climates, a rich territory, ninety-five times as large as Eng- 
and, more than seventeen times as large as France, and more than twelve times as 
large as Germany, the people of the United States, overlooking and neglecting their 
own vast resources, import, annually, millions of dollars' worth of an article, which, 
for its production, depends almost wholly upon grass. 

The holding of land without improving it, is a public injury. In many portions 
of the country, immense tracts of land having been purchased at government prices 
for purposes of speculation, are owned and held by individuals who never intended 
to plant a tree, or turn a furrow on the soil. Such lands remain unimproved, check- 
ing the progress of improvements around them, and retarding the settlement and 
cultivation of many of the most fertile districts in the western and the south-western 
States. 

In every part of our country, we have complaints in relation to the spontaneous 
growth of certain weeds and shrubs, which, if not eradicated, will invariably injure, 
and ultimately take the meadows and pastures. In certain districts where cattle, 
horses, mules, sheep, and other stock run and feed, it is known that there is a grad- 
ual increase of destructive weeds of various classes, depending upon the kind of stock 
pastured, and the character of the grass. What a field is here for experiment, in- 
vestigation, and useful discovery ! 

Wherever there is found a large supply of lime in the soil, and a clay subsoil, grass 
will grow luxuriantly, and form a durable sod that will stand long-continued drought 
and excessively hot summers. The siluriun hills on the borders of the western wa- 
ters, and the mountain limestone regions arc well adapted to the cultivation of grass- 
es. But in these portions of our country, we will find it difficult to compete success- 
fully with the sandstone and drift formations in the cultivation of wheat, and other 
cereal grains. We cannot raise fifty bushels of wheat to the acre in the limestone 
region. Each portion of our country, however, has its own peculiar undeveloped 
elements of wealth; and the countless and increasing faculties which our oceans, 
lakes, rivers, canals, and railroads, afford for an interchange of our various staple 
productions, should induce the farmers and planters of the several States in the Un- 
ion to study carefully the nature and qualities of the soil which they respectively 
cultivate. Those districts in which the cultivation and improvement of our indigen- 
ous grasses shall receive proper attention, may become the wealthiest portions of the 
republic. 

We shall always find superior stock in those districts where the cultivation of 
grasses receives attention. Many demonstrations of this fact may be seen in our own 
country, as well as in Europe. Notwithstanding the large population of Great Brit- 
ain, (who are mainly dependent on her commerce and manufactures,) she could not 
sustain herself, if she were compelled to import hay for her dairies and meat 
markets. There was a time in her history when she was dependent upon her niounr 
tains, and her neighbors, for her butter and meats. But, with her cultivation of* 
grasses, her population has increased; and her stock, of every kind, has attained a 
degree of excellence which supports a demand for it in the markets of all countries. 

In Holland, where the business of rearing cattle constitutes one of the principal 
sources of wealth, and where the price of landed property is high, a large portion of 
the surface of the country is devoted to pasturage and the cultivation of grasses. It 
is said, that the cultivation of a single kind of grass, in Jamaica, has increased, be- 
yond computation, the value of the trade and commerce of that island. 

Blue grass has done for Kentucky, what turnips have done for Flanders, and por- 



10 

tions of England and Scotland — not only arrested the old process, which wore out 
the land, but restored the soil, and brought large profits to graziers. 

Along the banks of the Merrimack, grass that, fitly years ago, was considered as 
a great evil, has, within the last twenty years, been regarded as equal, if not superior, 
to any other variety for hay. Similar favorable changes have been made in the 
South, and in every portion of the country, where the attention of agriculturists has 
been directed to the subject. 

A planter of Alabama, in a recent communication to the United States Patent 
Office, says: "Our native, or spontaneous grasses, with proper care and attention, 
would prove an invaluable treasure. The experiments of Major Seymour Powell 
fully demonstrate the correctness of this impression, and prove most conclusively 
that the crop of crab-grass grown on a prairie field after the corn is laid by, if well 
saved, would be worth more than the corn. To test the matter, he measured several 
acres. Olf the first acre he gathered thirty bushels of corn, which at the market 
price, 75 cents, brought $22.50. Off the same acre, he saved 2,6 75 pounds of nice 
hay, worth from $1 to $1 . 25 per cwt. — say $26 . 75. The second acre yielded 3,780 
pounds hay, worth 83 7.80, and corn worth $28.40." 

A (cording to the statements of a distinguished florist and botanist, Mr. Prince, of 
Flushing, L. I., there are, in California, hundreds of species of trees, shrubs, herba- 
ceous and bulbous flowering plants, indigenous to that region, which are totally dis- 
tinct from those found in other parts of the globe; many of them being "entirely 
new to the botanic world." ' Mr. Prince says, "In bulbous flowers, this country [Cal- 
ifornia] is particularly rich, and many of them are of great beauty and interest, and 
particularly striking. The balsamic character of very many of the herbaceous plants 
tonne a peculiar feature in that class." 

Some friends of agriculture are making efforts to improve our grasses, by the in- 
troduction of foreign varieties. Many of the English grasses are hardy and very 
nutritious. They might not endure our climate. But, on the other hand, it is pos- 
sible that a change of climate would result in an improvement of the good qualities 
of a good grass. 

It will, however, be time enough to make experiments upon foreign grasses, when 
we shall have learned something more of our own. Within the boundaries of our 
vast national domain, in various latitudes, climates, soils, and situations, we have. I 
doubt not, more different kinds of grass than are found in any other portion of the 
globe; and yet the number which we cultivate does not exceed twenty. 

We should learn to appreciate the beauty, improve the growth, and increase the 
value of the indigenous trees, plants, and grasses of the United States. Leaving out 
of view the error of useless pecuniary expenditure, and regarding the subject as 
merely one of taste, I am inclined to believe that we have injured the appearance of 
many a large mansion, and marred the picturesque beauty of many an humble home, 
in attempting, by the importation of shrubs and grasses, to imitate the landscape gar- 
dening and the rural scenery of other countries. The native garniture of our own 
forests, fields, meadows and pastures, when modified and improved by our own hands, 
directed by a cultivated taste, will be sufficient to enrich, adorn and beautify our land. 

These remarks are mafic, not with the conviction that I am offering any new la cti 
for the consideration of good fanners — but with the hope of inciting the agriculturists 
of the country to look, witli special interest, into the subject of our native grasses. — 
This subject has not received, nor does it now receive, that degree of public atten- 
tion which it deserves. 

We sow two or three kinds of grass seeds. Nature gives us numerous varieties of 
those which arrive at perfection, in different latitudes of our country, during each 
successive month, from Spring to Autumn: — yet, we are ignorant of the qualities of 
the grasses which grow spontaneously in our common pastures; and we know but 
little of the weeds which injure and destroy them. 

Some fate ago, in the course of a scientific examination, twenty-two species of 
grass were found on a single square foot of a rich ancient pasture in England. Re- 
cently in a western State, by means of the e nte rp ris e and industry of one ladv, spe- 
cimens of seventy-five kinds of grass were found, and presented as a bvuqiut, at an 
annual State Fair. 

The worst of all depredations are those which ignorant and reckless men commit 



11 

on their mother earth — the source and support of organic life — when they destroy 
or impair the fertility of the land, either by their ignorance, or by their neglect of 
the means by which it may be improved and preserved. It is our duty to leave the 
earth in a condition as good, at least, as it was when we found it. 

In many parts of our country the people seem to believe that the earth is possess- 
ed of a constitution so strong, so stout, and so healthy, that no extreme of bad usage 
can affect it injuriously; but Time, the great instructor, is demonstrating our folly, 
and warning us to change our modes of farming. While the husbandman carries 
forward his works of agricultural improvement, he must not forget the injunction, 
" Let the earth bring forth grass." If, disregarding this mandate, he shall continue 
to neglect the investigation and cultivation of grasses, the annual depreciation of his 
crops of corn, and other grains, will, ultimately, qualify him to appreciate fully the 
force of the Belgian maxim, "JYb grass, no stock: — no stock, no manure: — no manure, 
no crops." 

In no one thing does the ignorance of the laws of nature, so common among fann- 
ers, manifest itself so plainly as in the panic that spreads like an epidemic over the 
whole country, when the crops are threatened with any of the thousand casualties, inci- 
dent, not to agricultural pursuits only, but to every other human avocation. The 
merchant and the banker see a financial crisis approaching, and, understanding the 
laws of commerce and trade, deliberately prepare to meet what they cannot avert, 
without the murmuring and croaking that fills all the land when the crops are in 
danger. This disposition to complain about failures in the crops, not only betrays 
ignorance, but it exhibits an almost impious want of confidence in the wisdom and 
beneficence of that over-ruling Power that "shapes all our ends, rough-hew them as 
we will." 

We may justly complain of the oppressions of human governments, of the wrongs 
and outrages of society, of "man's inhumanity to man ;" we may murmur over hard 
times, and financial embarrassments, but we should look upon the thousand ills that, 
in threatening aspect, stand around all the productions of the soil, as so many friendly 
rebukes from a kind Providence, reminding us of our ignorance of the natural laws 
on which these things depend. 

In the severe drought of last fall, that blighted the hopes of the husbandman 
throughout the greater part of the north-western States, when the croaking of ruined 
crops had attained its highest point, a close observer could not fail to see, here and 
there, a field green and luxuriant in the midst of surrounding desolation. If you 
stopped to inquire into the cause, and asked for an explanation, you would learn 
that no special showers had visited those favored fields, but that they had been sub- 
soiled, or deeply plowed, well stirred and kept in a condition to absorb all the mois- 
ture afloat in the atmosphere, which compensated for the showers that came not. — 
Instead, then, of repining, we should profit by the lesson, and go and do likeivise. 

On the first and second days of June last, portions of Indiana were visited by se- 
vere and destructive frosts; a few days afterwards the farmers might be seen in anx- 
ious groups, with long faces, exhibiting specimens of their ruined crops, with all the 
evidences of dispair over the gloomy future. But, on visiting the fields, you would 
find that the injury to the wheat was confined to that which was in bloom; the Med- 
iterranean and early Alabama varieties, many fields of which were then in full flow- 
er, were injured, while the great body of the crop, consisting of other and late vari- 
eties, wholly escaped, and we had more than an average crop, after all the panic. — 
From this, let us learn the lesson, that early wheat is in danger of frost, even on the 
40th degree of latitude. 

In low moist grounds, the corn fields suffered severely, while the corn in more 
elevated and better drained land was uninjured. The undrained ground was cooled 
down, by evaporation, even to the freezing point, while the absorbed rays of yester- 
day's sun kept the drier soil at a temperature above injury. Drain, drain, drain, 
was the voice of this friendly admonition from Providence, and we should receive 
all such admonitions with thanksgiving, instead of croaking. 

The mandate that requires man to "eat bread in the sweat of his brow," contem- 
plates the subjecting of men to a schooling, a discipline, that shall qualify them to 
contend successfully against the great and numerous difficulties which arise in their 
paths through life. It is not the lot of the tiller of the soil, to struggle against ordi- 



12 

nary foes. Hie finds giants by the wayside of life. He must contend with the ele- 
ments of earth and air. Snows, storms, frosts, hail, and even rains, dews, and the 
blessed sunshine, are his enemies while he remains in ignorance of their influences. 
He who wages a warfare with the elements of earth and the air, in order to compel 
them to deliver up to him their rich treasures, will without doubt or question, Boner 
a defeat disastrous in proportion to his ignorance of the laws by which his adi 
ries are governed. But the farmer who understands these laws, will be able under 
the favor of heaven, not only to bring forth treasure from the earth, annually, but to 
explain the means by which he accomplishes his great work. 

lie studies the nature, condition, and quality of his lands; and his fields are in<- 
provedf not exhausted, by cultivation. His knowledge, experience and judgment, 
enable him to adapt the crop so the soil, or to prepare the soil for the crop. He 
reasons, he reads, he reflects, he makes experiments, and he discovers new me! 
of overcoming old obstacles. 

In this great work, we want, for leaders, men whose examples and precepts will 
excite the enthusaism, and win the confidence of their fellow-laborers in the field of 
agriculture. In every fanning district, throughout the vast extent of our fertile do- 
main, we want more men qualified by their knowledge, their experience, their skill, 
and their enterprise, to instruct and encourage their fellow-men, in the task of "sub- 
duing the land." When we shall have the whole body of our practical farmers en- 
gaged, not merely physically, but mentally, in illustrating the power, beneficence. 
and dignity of the science of agriculture, the "wilderness and the solitary places shall 
be glad for them ; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose." 

According to the census of 1850, one-eighth of our entire population live in cities 
whose population is over ten thousand ; and at least one-fifth of the whole population 
are residing in towns, villages, and cities. Taking into view the extent of our terri- 
tory, the sparseness of our population to the square mile, the cheapness and fertility 
of our lands, and the facilities for exchanging all commodities, and productions of skill 
and industry, I do not believe that the history of the world shows an instance in 
which the people of a civilized nation exhibited such a preference for city and vil- 
lage life. 

When our population shall become two hundred millions, one-half of the people 
will be crowded in cities, towns, and villages — unless the popular sentiment of the 
nation, after overcoming the general aversion to manual labor, and snbdning the hoi 
thirst for professional and mercantile pursuits, shall awaken in the American mind 
a strong love for rural Hi". The present condition of our country, is well described 
by the j>oet: — 

"Trade wields the sword; and .Afrrienlrurc leaves 
Her half-turned furrows; other harvest* tire 
An avarice of renown." 

The object of these associations, in our townshins, counties, and States, is not solely 
to enable the farmer to improve his stock, and increase his products. This end is 
highly important, and very desirable; but it is not one which should absorb all oth- 
ers. Man has a moral nature, of vastly greater value than his material and physical 
one. The increase of material wealth and prosperity, without a proportional iner 
of morals and intelligence, is not merely of doubtful advantage — it may justly be re- 
garded as a r-7/r.-r rather than a blessing. 

It is wisely ordered, therefore, that in order to attain to the greatest degree of 
material prosperity, learning and science must be united with muscular labor and 
material economy. The man whose life is devoted to the sciences, though under- 
standing, by the analysis of the laboratory, the economy of plants, soils, and animal 
life, may prove a vtv poor practical farmer — while the fanner who despises u bool> 
Iriiniinij" will fall far behind his wiser neighbor, who seeks to blend with practical 
-kill the discoveries and suggestions of the man of science. 

It i- on Occasions, and al place- - , like the presetit, that hints and suggestions should 

l>c freely given and received, which may lead to the most successful blending of 
speculative discoveries with practical knowledge. One great object of these assem- 
blages, should, therefore, be to diffuse general intelligence and scientific truths amnng 
agricultural communities; thereby aiding, not only in the increase of their material 
thrift, but in the development of the mighty resources of the earth. 



13 

Another class of subjects should not be overlooked. I allude to the connection 
between enlightened agriculture and the development of the social and moral nature 
of Man: the connection between agriculture and independence — between agricul- 
ture and the sacredness of the domestic relations and endearments — between agri- 
culture and the recognition of that Providence upon whose care the farmer, more 
than any other man, should, from the nature of his pursuits, rely. 

The tendency of agricultural pursuits is to give distinctness and strength to home 
associations and influences. The greater communities are made up of the smaller; 
and as a community increases in magnitude, it decreases in its local power and 
influences. At the base of all lies the divinely appointed institution of the Family, 
where the greatest power is concentrated in the hands of the father — who is the 
Patriarch, Legislator, Judge, and Executive of his household estate. Living on his 
own domain, with his woodlands, pastures, meadows, hills, and streams about him, 
he is supreme, with only those few and necessary limitations which the larger com- 
munity throws around him. It is here that the influence of woman— man's first, 
last, best comforter on earth — is felt and recognized. It is here that "she openeth 
her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness." It is here that 
" she looketh well to her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." It was 
at home, that King Lemuel learned the good and wise " words that his mother taught 
him." Mother! The sweetest word in all the babbling languages of men! It is 
the mission of woman — it is the holy mission of the mother — to impress upon the 
young mind, the first lessons of truth, virtue, wisdom, and courage. Her empire is 
in the affections of her husband and children, who "arise up and call her blessed." 

On the right regulation of these independent households, depends the welfare of 
the larger communities which, with powers more limited, are composed of these 
smaller ones. And, so far as the influences of these Associations and Fairs are cal- 
culated to ennoble, dignify, and enrich the occupation of the farmer, just so far will 
they tend to increase the attractiveness, and the wholesome influences of his home — 
making him and the members of his household, better citizens of the larger com- 
munities. 

The family being a divine institution, the sentiment and the affection upon which 
it is based are innate in man. Hence its universality. No merely human institu- 
tion, however perfect, can ever take its place. Directly or indirectly, almost ail 
great and good men have been indebted, for their beneficent power and influence, 
to the early teachings of parents, and the genial nurture of home. Above all na- 
tions, we should cherish the family relation. The influence of home, was the inspira- 
tion that swelled the great hearts of our fathers for the struggle which has given 
freedom to their sons; and we will fail to transmit the boon to our descendants, if 
we enlist not for its preservation the helps by which it was originally won. If all 
homes could be made pleasant, and all family relations fraternal, kind, and pure, 
society would lose its hypocrisy and guile; and mankind, actuated by true Christian 
charity, would move steadily on, from triumph to triumph, towards the perfection of 
the intellectual and moral nature of man. 

That spirit of inquiry, investigation, and enterprise, that has been awakened, at 
your township, county, and State fairs, by competition for premiums on household 
fabrics, and on products of the dairy, the farm, and the shop, may justly be regarded 
as a link in the chain of home education ; and this is a very proper direction for 
things to take at this period in our history. 

At the base of the prosperity of any people lies this great principle — Make labor 
fashionable at home. Educate, instruct, encourage; and offer all the incentives you 
can offer, to give interest and dignity to labor at home. Enlist the heart and the 
intellect of the family in the support of a domestic system that will make labor 
attractive at the homestead. By means of the powerful influences of early home 
education, endeavor to invest practical labor with an interest that will cheer the 
heart of each member of the family ; and thereby you will give to your household the 
grace, peace, refinement, and attraction which God designed a home should po^ses.^. 

The truth is, we must talk more, think more, work more, and act more, in refer- 
ence to questions relating to home. 

The training and improvement of the physical, intellectual, social, and moral 
powers and sentiments of the youth of our country, requires something more than 






14 

the school-house, academy, college, and university. The young mind should receive 
judicious training in the Held, in the garden, in the l>arn, in the workshop, in the 
pa l>r, in the kitchen — in a word, around the hearth-stone, at home. 

Whatever intellectual attainments your son may have acquired, he is unfit to go 
forth into society it' he has not had thrown around him the genial and purifying 
influences of parents, sisters, brothers, and the man-smnnf/ influence of the tamih 
government. The nation must look for virtue, wisdom, and strength, to the educa- 
tion that controls and shapes the home policy of the family circle. There can be no 
love of country where there is no love of home. Patriotism, true and genuine. Che 
only kind worthy of the name, derives its mighty strength from fountains that gush 
out around the hearth-stone; and those who forget to cherish the household inter- 
ests, will soon learn to look with indifference upon the interests of their common 
country. 

We must cultivate the roots — not the tops. We must make the family govern- 
ment, the School, the Farm, the Church, the Shop, the Agricultural Fairs, the labo- 
ratories of our future greatness. We must educate our sous to be farmers, artizans, 
architects, engineers, geologists, botanists, chemists — in a word, practical men. 
Their eves must be turned from Washington to their States, counties, township-. 
districts, homes. This is true patriotism; and the only patriotism that will perpetu- 
ally preserve the nation. 

With a territory stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and with sea coasts 
more than five thousand miles in extent, we have almost all varieties of soils, cli- 
mates, and productions; and, consequently, we have within our boundaries, citizens 
of every kind of pursuit and occupation. The world never witnessed, before the 
present time, such a busy, bustling, energetic crowd of human beings, scattered 
over a territory so vast, and living under a government supported by their own 
will. Farmers and planters, mechanics and manufacturers, merchants and trader.-, 
miners of iron, and gold, and silver, and copper, and coal; men of labor and indus- 
try, engaged in business in town and country, on the oceans of the world, and on 
our lakes and rivers — all of these, while they constitute the strength of our confed- 
eracy, have, in their various pursuits, their own peculiar customs, habits, manners, 
and tastes; yet, their constitutions and their laws protect their rights, individually, 
and recognize their political equality. In this consists the strength and the beauty 
of our form of government. 

We require, we must have, the full grown policy of each of these pursuits, with 
the thousands of others that will naturally arise in a government whose interests are 
so diversified: — Each of these should be left free to arrive at full perfection, with- 
out the influences of a great, overshadowing, central, consolidated government. 

A great proverbial economist lias said, "Take care of the pence, and the pounds 
will take care of themselves." We may, with a slight modification, apply the pro- 
verb to government. Let us take care of the smaller communities, and the large: 
will take care of themselves. I recently asked a friend of mine, an intelligent 
farmer, "For whom did you vote for township trustee?" " Well, really, I have for- 
gotten," was his answer. "Forgotten!" I replied, "Forgotten! What! Do you 
not know the man to whom you have entrusted the management of aflairs most 
intimately connected with the moral ami intellectual welfare of your children? 
Do you forget the person who is to have charge of your schools, ami to choose 
teachers for the future men and women of your country? Why, my dear sir, 
never be so forgetful again. Hereafter select the most useful and intelligent man in 
your township, tor trustee; and never forget the choice you make. After thi<, 
select the best man for county commissioner, to direct your municipal government 

It' yen have another great man. send him to the legislature, to -peak your voice in 

framing laws to protect your person, property, and character whue you Eve, and the 
rights of your widow and children, when yon shall be no more. Then, if your 
catalogue of gnat men is exhausted, f>nt yon have one left with about half sense, 
send him to Congress." 
This advice was given from a full conviction of it- correctness. How can yon 

expect the heart Of this republic tO be free from corruption and fraud, when the 
little streams and ri\ulets Which nourish it are neglected? The fountain head- and 
Spring! of this nation— the people of the several Stales and Territories— in their 



15 

primary organizations, in their local policy, laws, customs, and manners — are the 
sources from which the national government must derive, politically, whatever of 
virtue, wisdom, or strength it may possess. 

It has been justly said, that the two great leading objects of human pursuit, are 
Agriculture and Mechanism. In these are comprehended the wealth of" the coun- 
try. Their prosperity indicates the prosperity of the nation. 

We have too long regarded as the wise man, the representative who devises the 
best system of finance, to cany forward great enterprises by borrowing millions. 
Suppose we establish a new standard by which to measure men; and regard him as 
the wise man who devises a system that will support, and advance, the true interests 
of Agricultural, Mechanical, and Manufacturing pursuits. He who is a good model 
farmer, is as much entitled to distinction and office, as is the man who has com- 
manded a regiment in battle. He who shall ascertain the cause of the potato rot, 
and prescribe a preventive, will be as much entitled to the respect and thanks of 
his fellow-men, as he who may manage the finances of a bank successfully. The 
country will not be retrograding, when the highest office shall be given to the 
Mechanic, or the Manufacturer, who shall make the best specimen of mechanism, 
or the finest piece of cloth. Let the friends of the Plow, the Loom, and the Anvil, 
have their associations, conventions, shows, and Fairs. These are the great univer- 
sities of Practical, Agricultural, and Mechanical knowledge. 

How limited is our knowledge of the chemical properties of the air that we 
breathe — of the water that we drink — or of the soil on which we are dependent for 
the food that supports life ! How ignorant we are of the various natures and quali- 
ties of the different ores and minerals that lie in profusion all around us ! What do 
the students in our colleges and universities learn of the botanical characteristics of 
our grasses, grains, fruits, trees, and flowers ? And, on their return to their homes, 
what information can they communicate to their neighbors, in relation to the physi- 
ological peculiarities of those animals for which there is, in the market and on the 
farm, the greatest demand ? 

The progress of a happy change is visible in every part of our country. During 
the course of the present year, one-fourth of the whole nation will have assembled 
at our numerous State and County Fairs ; and the most favorable results will follow 
these exhibitions of the enterprise, skill, and industry of the people. 

In many parts of the Union the people are organizing Agricultural Schools, and 
Colleges, in which the science of planting and cultivating will be taught in place of 
human butchery. The schoolmaster is beginning to be regarded as one whose pro- 
fession is as noble as that of the buttoned gentleman. The public mind seems to 
have awakened to the realization of something practical. Each man is asking, for 
himself, information with respect to the best system — the best mode — the best manner — 
of reaping the reward of labor bestowed upon the earth, or in the making of those 
articles which are found necessary for his comfort and condition in life. In the in- 
vestigation of these questions, men are willing to exchange views and opinions with 
their neighbors. They are not only willing, but anxious, to become acquainted, by 
personal observation, with modes of labor, machinery, and the productions of the 
earth ; in a word, to have the full history of all that is around them. 

The mechanic has access to the farmer — the farmer to the mechanic : — they meet 
and consult together. At these exhibitions, the most distinguished mechanics are 
present; and they bring with them, not only the work of their brains and hands, 
but active and observing minds to inquire into the wants of the country ; and they 
return to their workshops to perfect the inventions that have been suggested by 
these means. The farmer, too, has a favorable opportunity, at these fairs, to make 
himself well acquainted with what is new and useful, and to see the best productions 
of different portions of the country. 

Perhaps the most convincing evidence of recent great improvements in the busi- 
ness of farming, will appear, on instituting a comparison between the present con- 
dition of the agricultural interests of your State, and that condition in which these 
interests existed before the organization of these associations. There are, I doubt 
not, those present, who, if they will look back over a period of twenty-five years, 
can make the comparison to which I refer. 



16 

Tii the lapse of that time, -what improved modes of cultivating various soils have 
beep discovered and adopt* d by the tanners of New York ! How many new kinds 
o£. agricultural implements have been brought into profitable use! How many 
farmers would now be willing to go hack to the use- of the old farming implement! 
and the old method of farming r How many new varieties of grains, fruits, and 
vegetables have been introduced, to increase the value of your crops! What 
ch.imrrs have taken place, with respect to the number and value of your brec si 
Battle, horses, sheep, swine, and poultry! "What improvements have been male in 
the management and value of your dairies! What is the value of the stimulus that . 
has been imparted to your home industry by the encouragement which agricultural 
i.itions have given to the manufacture of household fabrics, and other articles 
of domestic production! 

The men of latorbf this nation, are under an obligation to regard the State of New 
York as a national benefactor. We have the fruits of the genius and perseverance 
of your Fulton and Clinton; and the influence of the example of your distinguished 
son, the lamented Silas Wright, whose days were devoted to the cause of labor, and 
who, in his life, presented a model worthy of all imitation, of a high-minded, far- 
seeing statesman, an upright and an honest man. His name and fame are the com- 
mon property of the nation. We have, too, the example, and the results, of your 
agricultural organization, which, for a quarter of a century, by its transactions, 
reports, and fairs, has been giving information and encouragement, to the men of 
toil in every portion of the country. And this day, we see before us some of the 
richest trophies of your noble enterprise. 

Citizens of the State of New York, you cannot avoid receiving encomiums and 
encouragement, while you continue to prosecute this work of State and national 
improvement. You have, among your visitors to-day, citizens from more than 
twenty States of the Union — from the South, North, Easfj and West. There can- 
not be any just cause of jealousy, dissention, or hostility, among the friends of 
American labor and enterprise, in the various sections of the country, They are 
bound together, by every motive and consideration which can influence the hearts 
of men to preserve the peace, promote the harmony, and advance the prosperity of 
their common country. A great chain of twenty-five Slate fairs, and more than a 
thousand annual county fairs, while supporting and imparting strength to the indus- 
trial interests of the nation, will have a natural tendency to exclude sectional preju- 
dices, and to bind us together in national harmony and brotherly love. 

The present national greatness of the United States is mainly attributable to two 
obvious principles — the influence of law upon our citizens, and their attachments to 
their own municipal and local governments. Just in proportion as we havi 
patted from the strictest observance of law, and looked abroad into the domestic 
institutions of our neighbors, have we been led into difficulties and trials. There is 
no higher duty of the citizen — than to maintain by word, deed, and action, the ab- 
solute supremacy of law. We should bear in mind this great truth, that the first 
public act of dis'obedience to the law is the first fatal step in the downward road to 
anarchy. 

Let the American citizen discharge, faithfully, not only his national obligations, 
but his public and private local duties. This can be done, in the most effective 
manner, by guarding against the slightest encroachments upon the compact which 
makes us one people; by a strict observance of law; and by a true discharge of 
those essential, religious, political, and social duties which lie at the foundations of 
society. Let us, like our fathers, be watehful and faithful, at the fireside — on the 
farm— in the school district — in the township— in the county — in the State. Let 
lablish and maintain good morals. Let us encourage the growth of the arts 
and sciences, and all branches of useful industry. Let us continue our efforts to 
advance the agricultural, mechanical, and manufacturing interests of the Union. 
And, finally, Le( ub teach the rising generation to love their whole country, and all 
parts of it^-cspccially their own hearili-toncsr- -their men h 



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